Posts Tagged ‘gentlemen’

You mustn’t add anything other than perhaps a spot of water, or if you’re very adventurous – ice, to a single malt whisky, otherwise “it’s a waste of a good dram”. The unwritten rules for this initiation into the single malt fraternity are:

• Be prepared at the outset, to drink neat spirit, which may or may not sear your oesophagus, or at least feel as if it is doing so
• Keep a straight face, nod your head in an appreciative manner, and make out that you really enjoyed the experience. That, despite the pain, you managed to distinguish the subtle nuances of peat or heather, or salt-air baked casks.
• Be a ‘Real Man’
• Be prepared to do this as a lifelong act
• If you don’t adhere to the above, you’ll be served ‘The McCheapest Blend’�, because you’re a heathen and don’t deserve any better.

Cigar facts
How to choose a cigar, how to cut it. How to light it and when and how to smoke it. This section provides the answers to these and more questions.
Choosing a Cigar:
The ring gauge of the cigar will give you a general indication of how full the taste is. The larger the ring size, generally, the fuller, smoother, cooler, and slower the smoke will be. Ring gauge is the standard set to measure the diameter of a cigar. 64 ring is equal one inch.
Cutting a cigar:

The cap or the head of a handmade cigar must be cut before lighting it. You can do this with a cigar scissor, guillotine cutter or a punch cutter. The guillotine is recommended for the most effective cut. Make sure not to cut the entire cap off, because this could damage the wrapper.

Lighting a Cigar:

Lighting the cigar is an art that will enhance the enjoyment – by using a slow, two-step process you can ensure that one side of the cigar will not burn faster than the other side. Step one: Hold the cigar horizontally and rotate it in the flame to evenly warm the end. Step two: Put the cigar in your mouth. Keeping it still in a horizontal position, hold the flame only to the tip of the cigar, and draw slowly as you continue to rotate.

When to Enjoy a Cigar:

Premium cigar lovers are known for their appreciation of food, wine and liqueurs. One of the best times to offer a cigar is after a meal, with dessert, coffee, port or cognac. Other great times to enjoy your favorite cigars include: while walking the dog, during or after business meetings, while commuting to and from work and basically just any time you’re looking to enjoy the relaxation and fulfillment provided buy a fine cigar.

Smoking a cigar:

Cigars are meant to be savored and appreciated for the taste, the feel, and the aroma. Don’t rush it. Smoke slowly. Avoid too much puffing, and remember – don’t inhale. If your cigar extinguishes itself, it is proper to relight it within one to two hours. Any later than that, it will taste stale.
[ Stein Runar Bergheim, J. 8.Wed, ]

Not many people wear bow ties today and even less know how to tie one – I have liberated this excellent article on how to do this from another website…

	1) Place the bow tie around your neck, situating it so that end “A” is about two inches longer than end “B”.		2) Cross end “A” over end “B”.
	3) Bring end “A” up and under the loop.		4) Now double end “B” over itself to form the front base loop of the bow tie.
	5) Loop end “A” over the center of the loop you just formed.		6) Holding everything in place, double end “A” back on itself and poke it through the loop behind the bow tie.
	7) Adjust the bow tie by tugging at the ends of it and straightening the center knot.

Source: http://www.tie-a-tie.net/bowtie.html

Whisky FAQ & facts
How to taste, describe and compare scotch whiskies. Answers to commonly asked questions about whisky. The information is derived from various sources on the Internet
The Nose
Whisky tasting is done principally with the nose – a far more acute organ than the tongue, although the two interrelate as the sample is swallowed.
While there are only four primary tastes, there are 32 primary smells. These are aromatic volatiles, which are detected by a small fleshy bulb called the Olfactory Epithelium, located at the back of our noses and having a direct link to the brain.
The Tongue
As well as registering the primary tastes, the tongue also detects what is termed ‘mouthfeel’ – the viscosity, texture and smoothness of the fluid we are swallowing – and ‘pungency’ (which is essentially an evaluation of pain – from irritation to unbearable – and is also picked up by the nose). In whisky tasting, pungency is particularly apparent in very strong spirit, which may sting your nose and tongue and induce numbness (temporary anaesthesia). So you have to be careful when nosing whisky at full strength – i.e. as it comes from the cask.
Flavour
Is a combination of three factors: smell, taste and feeling.
Our noses detect scents – nuances of flavour from volatile aromatics – and pass this information direct to our brains. Our sense of the smells that surround us are recorded unconsciously, yet smells probably trigger memories more effectively than sounds or sights: they are the most evocative of experiences. With a little practice you can soon learn to break smells down and identify their constituent parts. Putting names to them is more difficult, and will be explored later in this section.
Primary tastes are registered by little sensory receptors on our tongues and palates. These are broadly arranged so that sweet flavours are picked up on the tip of the tongue, sour and salt flavours by the sides and middle and bitter flavours at the back. The time it takes to stimulate the different areas of the tongue varies, with the bitter receptors taking the longest, so it is important when tasting to hold the liquid in the mouth and to make sure it coats the tongue thoroughly
Does glassware make a difference? The short answer is yes. The long answer is more complicated, and to some extent subjective. There is some agreement that proper nosing requires a glass with rounded bowl as opposed to a straight-sided rocks glass or shot glass. However, whether the glass should be lightly rounded (as in a tulip glass) or highly rounded (as in a brandy snifter) is less clear. Whisky Magazine Issue 24 had a limited comparison of glassware, focusing mostly on “designer” glassware, but ignoring the ubiquitous brandy snifter or balloon, as well as the straight-sided rocks glasses.
Do you add water when nosing / tasting – what about when “just drinking”? The first time a non-spirits drinker approaches whisky, they are likely to be hit by the alcoholic strength of even a 40% ABV whisky. Depending on the whisky, the strength may not be as obvious on nosing, other than as a tingling sensation – but it will likely dominate the palate (and may even be painful). That said, I feel that diluting whisky for drinking lessens the experience in a hedonistic sense; however, if you have even a slight analytical bent or interest, exploring the impact of dilution is very rewarding. Some aspects of the nose (and palate) will not be discernible unless you dilute with water.
How do you describe what you smell, taste, “feel”? How you describe it is up to you. Everyone has different references for similar sensations. With practice, most people with a reasonably functional nose can reliably identify similar sensations with sufficient practice. Note also that environment and context make a big difference as well – even in the simplest case, a single glass of whisky, tasted blind in a colored glass – most people will come up with quite different descriptors for the same whisky if they did the tasting after having eaten different food (or are tasting with food), are in an environment with different background smells (smoke, perfume, cooking), had it after different whiskies (e.g., after Longrow vs. after Auchentoshan). Putting all those variables aside, and assuming assiduous practice such that one can reliably identify adequate descriptors (or malt markers, as Craig says – good term) – there is still the problem of trying to convey that information to other people. One approach is to try and use common, standardized descriptors such as is used in academia or industry, with standard chemical referents for each characteristic. Another is to hit the tasting note books and compare your impressions with that of the “professional” tasters, to try and find common descriptive ground. Finally – there is the approach of tasting often, and tasting in groups of like-minded folks, from different backgrounds. All of these work, and which provides the most enjoyment is up to the individual.
See the page on Classification of Single Malt Whiskies for one approach to developing a consistent approach to description of single malts. See also this 1995 article by Charles MacLean on The Flavour Terminology of Scotch Whisky. See also the tasting wheel and associated notes and pages at Scotchwhisky.com.
Does whisky change in a sealed bottle? If the bottle is truly sealed (which might mean wrapping the top in cellophane paper, or tape, to protect against loose corks / seals) and stored properly (out of direct sunlight, and not subjected to frequent, vast temperature changes) – then not noticeably, for reasonable durations (years, perhaps decades; dunno about millennia). Whisky is much more forgiving than wine to extra time in the bottle, and is also less bothered by storage temperature or location.
Does an opened bottle change? Yes. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Rule of thumb – when the bottle gets down to the last 3-4 fingers, drink it soon!

Wine FAQ & facts
Which glass, what temperature for which wine and in what order. Should the wine be decanted and aerated? Information gathered from the Internet gives one answer…
In what sort of glass should I be serving wine?
Tulip-shaped or inward-curving glasses allow you to swirl, tilt and get at the bouquet effectively, improving your ability to appreciate the wine. In order to do this, fill your glass to no more than one-third full. The extent to which a wine releases its aromas depends on the shape of the glass.

What serving temperature should I serve wine?
Serving wine at the right temperature makes all the difference. It does depend on personal preference but, as a general rule, always serve wines on the cool side as they will warm up in your hands, whatever the weather.

Serving White Wines: Chilled wines are refreshing. Chilling does mask flavour, so the finer the wine, the less it will need chilling. Remember, ice with water in an ice bucket chills more efficiently than just ice alone.

Serving Red Wines: The tannin level in a wine dictates the temperature at which it should be served. The more tannic a wine, the warmer you should drink it. Reds that are low in tannin can be chilled like a full-bodied white. If a red is served too warm, it will become soupy and all you will be able to taste and smell will be the alcohol. As with all wine, serve cooler rather than warmer.

[ Stein Runar Bergheim, J. 1.Wed, ]